Víctor Munive and Junior Meza were assaulted by police officers, who also took Meza's camera and deleted all his photographs of a demonstration in Huancayo.
(IPYS/IFEX) – 23 June 2011 – On 22 June 2011, Panamericana TV reporter Víctor Munive and “Primicia” newspaper reporter Junior Meza were assaulted by police officers, who also took Meza’s camera and deleted all his photographs of a demonstration in Huancayo, capital of Junín region, in central Peru.
Other journalists also denounced that they were attacked while they were covering the blocking of a highway. The police officers used force to suppress a violent protest by students of the National University of Central Peru. This was captured on film and video by the reporters.
Munive managed to film the police officers pushing and hitting Meza. The same video, published by the blog “Huancayork Times”, shows Munive being ill-treated even though he identified himself as a journalist. The police officers finally grabbed his camera and deleted his pictures.
Junín’s chief of police, Colonel Haroldo Ocampo, has not made any statements yet about the incident.
IPYS condemns attacks against journalists who are exercising their professions, even more so when these are carried out by law enforcement agents.
